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Dirt Racing

Macri Holds Off Dietz for Smith Memorial Score

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Photo: Paul Arch

MECHANICSBURG, PA (July 3, 2026):  Anthony Macri seemed to have complete control over the Mitch Smith Memorial at Williams Grove Speedway. However, his defensive strategy on the final lap almost cost him the race. Chase Dietz’s charge off turn four came up just a tad short, and Macri claimed his fourth win of the Thirty-sixth Pennsylvania Speedweek. Macri received the $20,000 check and added to his points lead in the quest for a fourth straight Speedweek title.

“I made the stupidest corner,” Macri said of his mistake.

The Dilsburg pilot explained, “after the caution, I didn’t have a good car. I used the left rear too hard.. I went into defensive mode. I knew if I committed to my slider line in (turns) three and four and I went low in (turns) one and two, it would be a long way around for him.”

That seemed to be a reasonable strategy. So, what went wrong on the last lap?

Macri indeed used the slider line coming through turn four on the last lap. But, he didn’t get up to the cushion the way he wanted to. Coming off the corner he was desperately looking to find some moisture so he could get a launch down the front stretch to the checkers. Instead he spun his tires. And that enabled Dietz to get a run on him.

Macri won by a scant 0.041 seconds.

Although he came up short, Dietz was happy with his performance. Once again, he was coming off a race in which he did not qualify. The first time that it happened, he reeled off three straight wins. He noted that racing every day makes for short memories.

“I was trying to pressure as much as I could,” Dietz said. “Right before the caution, I found a line in (turns) one and two about three quarters of the way up. It must have gotten a little dirty on exit because I wasn’t getting a run off the corner.” Nevertheless, he did show his nose once during the final ten laps, and that got Macri going again.

Dietz later reported to a source, “that last lap, he (Macri) actually told me, like he lost his left rear in the middle and he put himself in the dirty stuff down the straightaway there, and he gave me a run which I didn’t think was coming. Honestly, that was just an awesome race.”

Logan Schuchart took advantage of a gap in the World of Outlaws schedule to get some extra track time in advance of the upcoming Summer Nationals at Williams Grove. His strong third place run gave him some ideas of things that he can improve upon for that event during the month of money.

Schuchart was aided by the restart on lap seventeen. He got by Tanner Holmes for third and he was able to close in on the leaders. But, he couldn’t make it a three-car race.

“The restart was good. You didn’t know what to do going into one. I was dragging the brake a little too much,” he said.

Macri and Ditez manned the front row for for the thirty lap feature event. Holmes and Doug Hammaker were in row two, with Brady Bacon and Schuchart next in line. Troy Wagaman, Jr. and Ryan Newton selected the last two preferred starting spots. Brent Marks, Dylan Norris, Ryan Smith, and James McFadden got the next four positions based upon their heat race finishes.

Macri took the early lead, with Dietz, Hammaker, Holmes, Schuchart, and Bacon in tow. As Macri began to pull away from Dietz, Holmes moved into third, and Hammaker continued in fourth. However, his effort ended on lap seventeen, when his car coasted to a stop coming off turn four.

When the race resumed, Macri and Dietz went off to settle the score by themselves. Schuchart ducked under Holmes for third. But, it took the leaders getting into traffic for Schuchart to make any headway after that.

After the leaders cleared the traffic, Macri switched up his line in turns one and two. He stayed low, in the rubber, giving Dietz the high line if he wanted it. Instead, Dietz found a lane a little below the cushion that seemed to work. He was able to draw clse to Macri, but the grip was somewhat better for Macri coming off turn two and he could scoot away down the backstretch.

Macri was thus able to maintain a lead of about four tenths of a second through most of the closing laps. However, he did not effectively execute his plan for the final corner and the stretch run.

Still, he got the win over Dietz, Schuchart, Marks, and McFadden. Holmes faded to sixth at the finish. Norris, Newton, Bacon, and Logan Rumsey completed the top ten.

Bacon, Macri, Hammaker, and Schuchart won the four heat races. Lance Dewease won the B Main, but he was an early retiree from the race. Dietz was the fastest qualifier again, topping Group A with a lap of 17.120 seconds. Newton was the best in Group B. His time was 17.357 seconds.

The bad luck bug bit former track champion Freddie Rahmer, Jr. this time. He had a fuel pump failure during his heat race and did not start the B Main.

Dirt Racing

Marks Magnificent in Hodnett Classic at Port Royal

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Photo: Port Royal Speedway

PORT ROYAL, PA (July 25, 2026):  Brent Marks dominated the Greg Hodnett Classic at Port Royal Speedway to score a $15,000 victory on night number one of the Bob Weikert Memorial Weekend. Marks established himself as the odds on favorite to scoop up the $100,000 first prize.

Marks’ lead was almost 4.8 seconds before the only caution of the race. It was called prematurely on lap eighteen by a track official when Daison Pursley got out of shape in turn two. Pursley got his car righted and he was allowed to blend in where he was running after the caution.

Marks sped away from his rivals when the race resumed. Justin Peck moved into second with five laps remaining. Although Chase Dietz took over third on lap twenty-three, he was penalized to positions at the finish for being out of line for the restart. That moved Anthony Macri into third and Ryan Smith into fourth.

“The car was awesome all night,” Marks said. He timed in third in Group B, won his heat race, and ran away with the dash. He led all twenty-five laps of the feature event without any challenges.

“I wanted to make the top work a little more,” Marks noted. “Fortunately, there was a good cushion to help me out. After the caution, Marks came down off the top and ran in the middle for the final seven laps. His margin of victory was 1.035 seconds over Peck.

Peck, who came on strong in the final half of the race, mentioned, “I think we were fast from start to finish.” He was the fastest qualifier of the night, topping Group A with a lap of 15.862 seconds. He was second in his heat race and fourth in the dash. He added, “I haven’t felt this good at Port Royal since 2021.” He thought he could have squeezed a little more speed out of his car for the feature, “but, I was scared to get out of our window.”

Macri also thought that he had a good car. He commented, though, “I have to work on my tires under the yellow. I have to study.”

The dash finish set the first eight positions in the A Main. Marks and Macri occu[ied row one. They were followed by Dietz and Peck. Then came the championship contenders, Rico Abreu and Aaron Reutzel, in row three; and Pursley and Kerry Madsen, in row four. Ryan Smith and Giovanni Scelzi claimed row five based on their heat reace finishes. James McFadden and Danny Dietrich (who was sporting Weikert colors and the iconic number 29 tonight) departed from row six.

Marks jumped out to the early lead and he began to pull away from Macri. Peck and Dietz raced along in fourth and fifth, ahead of Abreu, Reutzel, Madsen, Smith, Scelzi, and Tyler Courtney.

The first five were unchanged through the first half of the race. Abreu and Reutzel battled for sixth, while Smith began to close in on them.

That premature caution on lap eighteen wiped away Marks’ advantage. Macri, Peck, Dietz, Smith, Reutzel, Abreu, Courtney, Madsen, and Scelzi were the announced starting order for the remaining seven laps. However, Dietz managed to position himself ahead of Peck for the restart, giving rise to the penalty imposed at the finish.

Dietz blasted into third on the restart. But Peck rallied and drove up to second by the finish. Macri was under attack from Smith in the closing laps and they were both moved ahead of Dietz in the finishing order.

Positions six through ten went to Logan Wagner, who was designated as the hard charger. He advanced sixteen positions over the course of the race. Most of his passed came after the restart. Abreu was seventh, followed by Reutzel, Courtney, and Madsen.

Madsen, Macri, Marks, and Pursley took the checkers in their respective heat races. Domenic Melair won the C Main. Cameron Smith took the honors in the B Main. Peck was the top qualifier, at 15.862. Abreu topped Group B with a time of 16.682 seconds. Forty-seven cars checked in for the event

Ageless Steve Wilbur went wire to wire to win the Wingless Sportsmen thirty lapper. He took the lead at the start and steadily pulled away to a seven second advantage. Brett Perigo moved into second on lap fifteen and he cut into the margin while Wilbur struggled with lapped traffic.

The lead was down to 1.666 seconds by the time the red came out for a spectacular crash involving Dexter Ehrenzeller and Donnie Farlling on the front stretch. Ehrenzeller’s car came to rest near the victory lane. He required medical attention and was transported to a nearby hospital. No report of his condition was available by the end of the program.

Tony Jackson followed Wilbur and Brett Perigo at the finish. Marty Brian and Sam Leonard, Jr. completed the top five. The nxt five finishers were Eric Wlaker, Curt Stroup, Scott Smith, Lee Kauffman, and Craig Perigo.

Jackson, Brian, and Brad Mellott tallied the heat race wins. There was no B Main needed to align the twenty-one car field.

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Dirt Racing

Dietz Finally Scores At Williams Grove

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Photo: Williams Grove Speedway

MECHANICSBURG, PA (July 24, 2026):  Chase Dietz finally got a win at Williams Grove Speedway. It was his seventeenth overall for the season and sixth in his career at the famous oval. The $6,000 triumph also extended his points lead in the fledgling PA Posse Series.

Dietz executed a perfect slider in turn four on lap thirteen to take the lead from the current Williams Grove points leader and defending track champion, Troy Wagaman, Jr. “You have to take your shot when you get it,” Dietz said.

Dietz commented that he tried to drive under Wagaman in turn one on the opening lap, but he could not pull off the pass. In fact, he lost a position to Anthony Macri in the process. He explained that the temporary setback “probably helped me, it pissed me off.”

He noted that “the track was pretty narrow with a good cushion.” But, he added, ”it was pretty dicey with those lapped cars. They want to run where you are.” Fortunately, Dietz was able to navigate around them efficiently after taking the lead.

He concluded, “it’s a great time to have this (his first win at the track) happen. We have the Outlaws coming in and we want to put it on them.”

Although this was a Posse Series race, the track used a format similar to a World of Outlaws event to help get the race teams ready for next week’s Summer Nationals program. Thus, the heat races started heads-up, with the fastest qualifier on the pole instead of fourth per Posse Series procedures. The first two finishers from each heat advanced to the dash, instead of the heat winners and the fastest qualifiers from beach heat. The dash established the starting order for the first six cars in the feature event, instead of a random draw. All others fell in line based upon their qualifying times, instead of their heat race finishes.

Accordingly, the pole position for the twenty-five lapper went to Wagaman, with Dietz as his wingman. Logan Rumsey and Macri were next in line. The final two dash participants, Brent Shearer and Austin Bishop, manned row three. Then came Danny Dietrich and Preston Lattomus, in row four; Justin Whittall and Dylan Norris, in row five; and Freddie Rahmer, Jr. and Doug Hammaker, in row six.

Wagaman reached turn one ahead of Dietz and established himself on the cushion. Dietz opted for the low side, and that allowed Macri to roll in behind Wagaman on the top. Macri had better momentum coming off turn two, and he gained the second position heading down the back stretch. Rumsey was fourth, followed by Bishop, Shearer, Dietrich, Lattomus, Whittall, and Norris on the opening lap.

The first four began to separate themselves from the other racers in the early going. Meanwhile, Dietrich was pressing Rumsey for the fifth spot.

On lap seven, Macri got a tremendous launch off turn two and he closed very quickly on the leader. However, Wagaman was able to get to a lapped car before Macri could make a bid for the lead. Soon thereafter, Dietz powered past Macri for second. He then closed in on Wagaman in traffic.

The only caution of the event occurred on lap eleven. Rahmer got a flat and struck the outside wall in turn two while running in the top ten.

Wagaman had the point for the single file restart, with Dietz in second, followed by Macri, Rumsey, Dietrich, Bishop, Shearer, Whittall, Lattomus, and Norris.

Dietz pressed Wagaman for the lead when the race resumed. It took him a couple of laps to set up his winning pass in turn four. Meanwhile, Dietrich and Bishop moved ahead of Rumsey.

Dewease was another racer making forward progress after the restart. He was thirteenth in the queue when the green light came on again, and he cracked into the top ten on lap fifteen. He gained two more positions in the final ten laps.

Dietz stretched his lead over Wagaman as the laps clicked off. Wagaman remained in second. Dietrich got under Macri for third with three laps remaining in the contest.

Dietz took the checkers almost four and a half seconds ahead of Wagaman. Then came Dietrich, Macri, and Bishop. Whittall, Rumsey, Dewease, Norris, and Ryan Smith completed the top ten.

Rumsey, Dietz, and Bishop took the heat wins. There was no B Main. Wagaman prevailed in the dash. Rumsey was the evening’s fastest qualifier with a lap of 16.715 seconds. It was his first quick time award.

Eli Tuckey survived an early challenge from Austin Reed to get his first career win at the speedway in the 358 Sprint Car division. “I was diving poorly,” Tuckey conceded. “I figured if I could stay next to him (Reed), I could pull it off.” Tuckey adjusted his wing and did exactly that.

Reed held on for second, followed by Chase Gutshall, Derek Locke, and Adam Carberry. Cody Fletcher, Brock Hammaker, Seth Schnoke, Matt Findley, and Tim Wagaman, II rounded out the top ten.

Tuckey, Gutshall, and Schnoke copped the preliminaries. There was no B Main needed to set the starting field.

Cole Young had a spectacular crash at the start of his heat race. His car flipped several times and the front axle was ripped from the car. He was not hurt in the wreck. Brian Wolf, Jr. tipped his car over at the start of his heat. The car was not extensively damaged, and he was not injured. He was able to start the feature.

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Dirt Racing

Sharon Speedway cancels Saturday program

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HARTFORD, OH (July 18, 2026) Sharon Speedway is cancelling Saturday night’s “Steel Valley Thunder” program thanks to a near 100% likelihood of thunderstorms in the forecast from late afternoon through the evening hours including the potential for severe weather.

Sharon made the decision in the best interest of safety for fans, racers, and staff members.

“Super Series” action presented by Bala Management will return next Saturday (July 25) featuring the Hovis Auto & Truck Supply “410” Sprint Cars for $4,000 to-win along with the Hovis UMP Mods presented by A&MP Electric, Gibson Insurance Agency RUSH Sprint Cars, and the Gibson Insurance Agency Crown Vics on Alcon Mechanical and Hovis Auto & Truck Supply Night.  Kids Club Night presented by Willy’s World with kids bike and big wheel races.  It’s also the first of three Menards Giveaway Nights.

Additional information can be found at www.sharonspeedway.com.

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